Tonight, It's Snowing Again

And this little (??) born-in-November-in-Chicago-during-a-blizzard-year baby couldn't be happier! (and by the way, that was November 1963, and there was a blizzard in Chicago that winter, I'm told, which is why I absolutely love snow) And yes, I know.....it's all my fault

There's been a little knitting going on since we last met here. I am pleased to present to you a finally-finished toe-up sock, complete with stretchy bind off


That one is ALL MINE, made of Schaefer Heather, a blend of superwash merino, silk, and nylon that's just incredible to work with and amazing on the feet--of course we have it at the shop, at $29 for a 100g hank (enough for a pair of socks for most feet). I finished it over the weekend in time to show it off to my toe-up socks class on Sunday (they were on day 2 of 3), and I put it on along with another example toe-up sock (that one made of Apple Laine Apple Pie--another silk-blend sock yarn). I kept saying, over and over again, "man, these feel great on my feet". And I was right....YUM. You may remember that I was experimenting with some calf shaping on ONLY the backside of the sock, as a way of accommodating my monstrous calves (carry around this much weight and you get big calves...that's all I'm sayin'). Well, check out the alll-but-invisible increases


I did a special "paired make one in the row below" increase that does NOT leave a hole in the fabric and is almsot invisible (arrows point out a couple of them). I think the idea comes from Meg Swansen (THANKS, MEG!) and I **really** like how it turns out. Plus, the "only on the backside" shaping fits very nicely and looks great. Now for the second sock....HAH!

I finished the Snake Scarf out of Diakeito Diadomina


and we have the obligatory modeling photo, courtesy of Jeanne at the shop


(THANKS, JEANNE). I think it turned out nicely and is a quick, fun knit.

Now, onto something new on the needles (I can only start one project based on the single sock finished.....it's TWO new projects for every ONE finished, and a single sock is only half way home). I've wanted to make one of these for awhile now, but a yarn never really called out to me until we got in this stuff


That's Elegant Yarns Kaleidoscope, a self-striping 100% wool yarn that's one heckuva deal, as it's 174 yards in 100g for $8US. It felts nicely (we have a model) and it is very soft, especially when compared to other self-striping wools from Asia who shall remain nameless on this forum (but you KNOW which I mean). This one is manufactured in China and comes to us via the US distributor in Troy, Michigan (just an hour away from here). So it's a double bonus--a bargain AND supporting my local economy a little bit.

What am I making with it, you might ask? Just a simple 2x2 rib scarf, but alternating the two shades every two rows and carrying it up the side as I go...see


That's about 90 minutes worth of knitting time, as that's what I did while Matt and I watched a movie tonight. He rented something called "Small Town Gay Bar", a documentary that has gotten some pretty good press and a DVD that was recommended to him by the clerk at the video store tonight. It basically covers a little bit of the struggle involved in being queer in the Deep (and religious) South, something both of us are familiar with, but him wayyy more than myself. It was a little cliche, a little bit sad, a little bit funny, and well done (Kevin Smith, yes that Kevin Smith, was involved in the project, too). Semi-mindless TV to knit by....PERFECT for tonight.

I leave you with one more photo, as a bit of a teaser


Those are the new shades of Dream in Color yarn that will be available shortly, in all of their various weights/yarns. Looking at above photo and starting with the orange/peach and going to the left (yellow next), the color numbers and names are

410 Flamingo Pie
420 Butter Peeps
430 Go Go Grassy
440 Lunar Zazzle
450 Pansy Golightly
460 Punky Fuschia
470 Into The Mystic
480 Midnight Derby

We look forward to having them soon, in Classy (worsted) and Smooshy (sock) first, followed by the lace weight Baby soon after.

And with that, I'm off to bed for now. If you need more info or just WANT something you see above, contact us by toll-free line at 866-939-BEAR or by e-mail and we're glad to help!